


Scary Places Sometimes Bring Happiness

by Veridissima



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Birth, F/M, Family, Future Fic, Seaborn For President
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-14
Updated: 2013-08-14
Packaged: 2017-12-23 10:17:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/925195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veridissima/pseuds/Veridissima
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"He's sitting in a hospital's chair again, it scares him to death."<br/>It's time for Donna to birth their first girl</p>
            </blockquote>





	Scary Places Sometimes Bring Happiness

**Author's Note:**

> It happens a few months after my other story "Sometimes Everything Works Out Fine", but you can understand this story, without reading the other one, but it's better if you do.  
> The families on this story are  
> CJ and Danny (married for 12 years) with Leonor Marie (or Leo) who is 11 years old.  
> Donna and Josh (married for 11 years) with two twins, Noah Leopold and Josiah (or Joe/Joey) who are both 7 years old.  
> Posted on ff.net on August 3rd, 2012

He's sitting in a hospital's chair again, it scares him to death.

He has been here too many times, the first time he had just turned seven, and when Joannie entered the ER's door, she didn't come back and in the next weekend he was burying her.

Other people followed her, his grandmother, his aunt, his dad...

And now for a second time he's waiting for her to come back to him.

The last time he was here, it was a happy time, last time he was here it was for the birth of Sam's youngest, Jackie and when they finally arrived, Ainsley had already given birth and CJ had kicked the republican candidate's ass, even if she was (only) the VP candidate in the presidential debate.

And then he remembers the last time he was here for the entire ride, the result had been really great, they are both sleeping next to him, happy and no idea of what's happening.

He's been having Gaza's flashbacks, she's in that operate room, he's scared, he can't lose her, he loves her more than life itself. She's what has held him together for so many years, now. That few months without her so long ago, had made him lose something.

He's crying now, and he knows he should call their friends, they would want to know. Nobody knows, and he should be working, there's some kind of crisis, but he really can't remembers what.

She had called him while he was in a meeting with Haffley, he had come running to her, he picked up the twins and Donna and speeded until the hospital without stopping for red lights.

Everything was going great, they entered the hospital, let the kids in the hospital's daycare, and they were brought to a room, she was already eight centimetres dilated, so she couldn't have the drugs and the birth shouldn't take much time to happen, the contractions came closer each time, and when the ten centimetres hit, she started to push, everything was going okay unlike the rest of the pregnancy, until the shoulder got stuck and they had to push the baby back in and they drove his girls away.

This pregnancy had been much harder than the one eight years ago, a few years after giving birth to the twins, they had started trying and three miscarriages later and a lot of pain and tears, they decided to stop and to concentrate all their love in the twins and that they didn't need to suffer more. But when in the campaign trail of Sam's campaign for president they stopped in Iowa, in the same hotel they had been together but apart when he was campaigning for Santos and she for Russel, that hotel brought too many bad memories, it remembered him of the few months for the last twenty-one years where they hadn't been Josh and Donna, even if they weren't together for the first nine years, people still knew them as Josh and Donna. That few months apart were the worst for him personally, he missed her more then anything.

So now he waits for her to come back to him, he knows she has been there too much time, this pregnancy had been scary, since the night they found out they were afraid of the fact that this could end, something bad could happen, she was older than the ideal age for a kid (a little older than CJ had been when she had her girl) and she had a past of miscarriages, but when they achieved the three months, they told everybody, and everything was going fine until a month before where she had been put at rest bed because of some complications, leading to ask Annabeth to be the press secretary for this last month.

And now she's lying open in a table, again; he's outside waiting for news, again. He loves her, he can't lose her, he can't raise the twins alone. He can't raise his little girl alone, but he can't lose her either.

His thoughts are interrupted by the voice of a doctor.

"Mr. Lyman."

"Yes. Any news on Donna?" He asks standing up.

"Mrs. Lyman is still in the operation room, there is some blood, we are trying to stop the bleeding..."

"Is she gonna be okay?"

"We are doing everything we can."

"Okay, please you have to save her. I can't live without her." He says trying to stop the tears from falling.

"Yes, sir. We are trying to stop the bleeding, but if we can't, we need your authorization in case we need to perform a hysterectomy."

"What is that exactly? Why would that be needed?"

"She is bleeding a lot, we may need to retreat her uterus to save her."

"Wow, that's a lotto take." Josh says sitting.

"Yes, sir. But we need an answer."

"Yes, you can do everything you need to save her. And the baby, is she gonna be okay? Won't the procedure hurt her?"

"We already have the baby out. She's a perfect little girl totally health, 7 pounds. Do you want to see her?"

"Yes, of course. But I can't really leave my kids alone." He says looking down to the twins.

"Carla, can you keep an eye on the kids?" The doctor asks the nurse that is behind the counter.

"Of course."

"Thank you so much." Josh says standing up and kissing the foreheads of both Noah and Joey.

"Dad, where are you going?" Joe asks trying to hold his father's hand.

Josh puts on his knees to be in the same eye level that his son.

"I'm gonna see your baby sister. Do you wanna come?"

Joey stands up, rubs his eyes, nods his head and asks.

"Can we see mom too?"

"Mom is still with the doctors."

"She's gonna be okay, isn't she?" With this Josh turns his head to the doctor.

"Hey, kid, we are doing everything we can to make your mother okay. And I can bring you and your father to meet your sister, do you wanna see her?"

"Yes, please." Joey says standing up and holding his father's hand.

Josh turns to the nurse.

"If Noah wakes up, can you, please, send him to me, please?"

"No problem, Mr. Lyman."

"Thank you very much."

Josh picks Joey and follows the doctor to the nursery.

"Your girl is the one in that crib." The doctor says, pointing to the crib in the corner. "I'll leave you three alone." And the doctor leaves the room.

"Is this her?"

"Yes."

"She is so small."

"You were that way too."

"I know dad but still..."

"Yeah, I know, kid. She looks like your mother."

"Yes, she has blond hair like mom. Does she have a name yet, dad?"

"Yes. Your mother and I decided one a little after we found out it was a girl."

"What is? Is it Sabrina like Noah asked? He'll be angry, he doesn't like Sabrina anymore, he likes Martha now."

Josh laughs at his son's innocence, where love it's a simple playdate, and now today, where his heart hurts because his love is missing.

"It's not Sabrina. It's Marion Joan." He says laughing a little.

"Marion was the name of grandma?"

"Yes, we decided to honour your mother's mother. And Joan was your aunt."

"Your sister? The one who died?"

"Yes."

"Are you sad, dad? Do you miss her?"

"I'm not sad, now. But I miss her very much."

"Are you scared about mom?"

"A little." Josh says, passing his hand by Marion's hair.

"Dad, can I touch her?"

"You can hold her hand, but very carefully, don't squeeze, okay?"

"Okay, dad." And he picks her hand. With this, Marion opens her eyes; he sees that her eyes are exactly like Donna's, the shape, the color... That makes him think of how scared he is of not seeing her eyes again, his thoughts are stopped when a voice comes from the door.

"Daddy..." Noah screams.

"Shh... Noah, you have to be quite in here. Come here." He says, and makes a sign to the nurse thanking her. Noah comes running and jumps to his dad's knees.

"She's tiny."

"Yes, sweetie."

"She has blond hair like mom."

"And her eyes are also like mom." Joe completes. "Do you wanna hold her hand?"

"Can I, dad?"

"Yes, but you have to be careful."

"Okay." Joey lets go of her hand and lets Noah holds hers.

"Dad, where's mom?"

"Mom is still in surgery."

"She's gonna be okay, right?"

"I hope so." Josh murmurs.

"What's her name, dad?"

"It's not Sabrina, Noah." Joe says.

"Thank you so much. We can call her Martha."

"No, baby boy. She already has a name, Marion Joan."

"I like it, dad. Will mom like it?"

"Me and mom pick it out together."

"Okay."

Josh stays there looking at the future, at his three kids, hoping that Donna won't miss on this.

After being there for half a hour looking at his baby girl, and playing with her blond hair, while the twins play with her fingers, more carefully than any other thing they ever done; one nurse comes calling for them, so each of them kiss the top of her head. They go back to the waiting room, both Noah and Josiah lay their heads in their father's knees. The television is on, and looks like the crisis is now on TV, even if his brain can't really figure out what is, but he decides is better to call someone. He turns his phone on and finds more than twenty missed calls, he decides the best is to call Ainsley, she wouldn't be working and would be close enough to tell them.

"Ains, it's Josh."

_"Josh, where are you? Nobody can get to you."_

"I'm at the hospital. Donna gave birth."

_"Congratulations. Are they okay?"_

"The baby yes. Donna is in surgery."

_"Oh Josh. I'm going there.""_

"You can't, ma'am. You are still the first lady. You can't leave."

_"Josh, but you need someone."_

"I don't. I'm okay. I just need you to tell them why I can't be there and make sure they don't destroy the country."

_"Are you sure?"_

"Yes, just do that."

_"Okay, if you need something call, or if there is any change. Bye."_

"Bye, same there."

He closes his phone and stays there looking at his kids and thinking about their moments as a family. But in less than ten minutes, he hears someone call his name. He turns his head, pushing away all previous thoughts.

"Danny, what are you doing here?"

"The first lady called me."

"I told her I didn't need anyone."

"Yeah, that's not true, Josh." Danny says picking up Noah, sitting at Josh's right side and sitting him in his knees, and as an automate action Noah puts his arms around Danny's neck and continues sleeping.

"Where's Leo?"

"I let her alone in the house."

"Really?"

"She's twelve, Josh. And responsible."

"And...?"

"And there are secret service agents at the door, so she's safe."

"Okay. Thank you for coming, Danny. Even if I didn't need anyone."

"How is she?"

"The baby is fine, beautiful and healthy. She has blond hair just like Donna."

"Does she have a name, yet?"

"Marion Joan, we picked it a few months ago."

"How's Donna?"

"Don't know."

"How long has she been there?"

"Two hours, maybe."

"What happened?"

"The shoulder got stuck. They had to get to the OR."

"Have they told you anything, yet?"

"She's bleeding a lot. They may have to take her uterus out."

"If they do that, is she gonna be fine?"

"I'm not sure."

"Okay, I'm here if you need anything."

"Thanks, Danny."

They both sat there quiet, but they are interrupted when the doctor finally comes.

"Mr. Lyman."

"Yes." Josh says, standing up very carefully to not let Joey's head fall in the chair. "How is she?"

"Your wife is okay, but we had to perform the hysterectomy. Do you want me to take you to her room?"

"Yes, of couse. Danny, can you...?"

"Of course, Josh. I take care of them."

Josh leaves the waiting room and follows the doctor. He leads him to a hospital room. The doctor leaves him alone with her. He sits in the chair next to her bed and holds her hand kissing her knuckles.

"Hey, Donna. So happy that you're okay. Can't wait for you to wake up. Our baby girl is beautiful, she looks like you; your blond hair, your eyes, color and format, everything. The boys already love her, they were playing with her hands. They like the name too, Noah is happy it's not Sabrina, for what he says she is an ex-girlfriend of him, now he's in to Martha. I think we have a trouble maker in our hands. The kids are outside with Danny. Everybody else is handling some kind of crisis in the White House, that's why they are not here. But I have called Ainsley but you know she can't really be here."

When he finishes, he gives her another kiss in the fingers. "Everything is gonna be okay." And he just continues talking to her, remembering the good times they had spent together. He stops when he hears a knock in the door.

"Josh, can I?"

"Of course."

"How is she?" He enters with Noah by his hand and Joey in his arms.

"She's still sleeping."

"Okay. I'm sorry to have to do this, but it's getting late and I really don't wanna leave Leonor more time alone."

"Sure, Danny." He says standing up and taking Joey from his arms. "Thanks for coming."

"No problem. Call me if you need something."

"Okay. Go home to your girl."

"Bye, if you need something..."

"I know. I also call you if anything new happens. Go home."

"Okay. Do you want me to pass here tomorrow morning with new clothes and with their school bags and then leave them at school?"

"That would be a huge favour. If you could..."

"I offered. See you tomorrow. Bye Noah, Josh."

Danny leaves the room; Josh lays Joey in the bed next to Donna while Noah sits in his knee, holding his mom's hand.

"She's gonna be okay now, right?"

"I think so, son. You should sleep, it's way past your bedtime and you have school tomorrow."

"Okay, dad. Sleep well."

"Thanks, kid." And Nosh goes to his mother's bed. "Be careful not to hurt her."

"Okay, dad."

He stays awake until Noah falls asleep and after a little bit he also founds himself falling asleep.

He wakes up when he hears a faint voice calling his name, much as in Gaza.

"Hey, sweetie. How are you?"

"Sore." She says.

"She's fine. Healthy." He says knowing what she's about to ask.

"Have you seen her?" She says with a sore voice.

"Yes, me and the boys were with her for a little bit. She looks like you, she's gonna be a mini you. Blond hair and your eyes. And yes, I know they have school tomorrow, but they are sleeping now, I'll send a note and Danny will pass by to pick them up, with their school bags and clean clothes." He says giving her a sweet kiss in the lips.

"Thanks."

"I'm just gonna tell the doctor that you have waken up."

"Okay."

The doctor comes in, checks that Donna is okay, and Josh sends a text to both Ainsley and Danny saying that she's okay and awake. And they both fell asleep with their hands intertwined but not before whispering "I love you" to each other.


End file.
